Mahikeng Scholar Transport Suspended After Vehicles Confiscated Over Permits

Scholar transport operators in Mahikeng, South Africa, have suspended services after authorities began impounding vehicles for lacking permits, following increased scrutiny of school transport safety after a fatal Gauteng crash that killed 14 learners. Officials stressed the need for parents to vet drivers and vehicles, while warning operators against prioritizing profit over safety, emphasizing that children’s lives must come first.

Private scholar transport operators in Mahikeng, North West Province, South Africa, have suspended services after provincial authorities began confiscating vehicles over non-compliance with permit requirements. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of school transport safety following a deadly crash in Gauteng that killed 14 learners.
Last week, authorities in Gauteng intensified inspections of scholar transport, impounding over 60 vehicles for offences including operating without valid permits and roadworthiness certificates. Two drivers were arrested for overloading during the checks.
Operators in Mahikeng, who typically use seven-seater vehicles to transport schoolchildren, say their vehicles are being impounded because they lack the necessary permits. Operators’ representative Ofentse Mokhuane told state media SABC that the shutdown is threatening drivers’ livelihoods and putting their vehicles at risk. “We want to speak to the MEC to say, please, we are not fighting with any department. We just want to work and we want to work in peace,” he said.
The dispute follows a tragic minibus crash in Vanderbijlpark, Gauteng, where 14 school pupils died after their transport collided with a truck on the Golden Highway. Families of the victims held a joint funeral service in Sebokeng, Vaal, on Sunday, attended by Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikunga.
Chikunga urged parents to carefully vet the transport services used by their children, emphasizing that “a child has the right to safety, security, education and to reach home alive. To parents and guardians today we issue a clarion call. Vet every driver and vehicle. Ask for a license and verify it. If it is a promise, it is not good enough. Your vigilance is not a suspicion, it is love in action.”
She also cautioned scholar transport operators against prioritizing profit over safety. “To operators and owners, you do not carry loads. You carry futures. If your model requires cutting corners, then it’s not good for this country. Upgrade or step aside. We will continue to support good drivers. And we will continue to remove bad ones from our roads,” Chikunga added.